154. Morning Person

"I have to be alone very often. I'd be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel." - Audrey Hepburn

I woke up early this morning, so that I could have a little time for some stillness and solitude in my day. Haven't had that in a loooooong while.

I never used to be a "morning person." But now, I do appreciate the small joys of waking up before the sun...before the neighborhood springs to life with activity.

My schedule is really crazy/busy right now...filled with a lot of stuff that I'm not excited about doing, but that I am obligated to complete. I know that it is possible for me to experience joy, even in the midst of these obligatory tasks. And taking a little time to sit, meditatively with my coffee, in the pre-day quiet, in my cozy apartment...is essential to me being able to bring a joyful attitude to whatever may come my way today.

We get sooooooo busy with our own to-do lists...not to mention all the to-dos that other people expect us to accomplish for THEM...Replies to those emails/emails/emails, pick up some milk at the store before you head home, buy a gift for so-and-so's party, donate to that fundraiser, make plans to meet up with what's-his-name for dinner, pack that change of clothes for yoga class, get those taxes done, fix that coat with the annoying rip in the pocket, clean the bathroom, put away the laundry, start that new project for work that needs to be completed in two days and you have no idea how that's going to happen because you haven't even had time to complete the normal daily tasks, let alone start something new.

AHHHHHH!

Shhhhhhhhh....

Mmmmmorning....Quiet....Breathing....

I tend to feel like...once these tasks get accomplished....THEN I'll be able to really enjoy some well-deserved quiet/relaxation time. But it actually works the OPPOSITE way...I've got to take some quiet time NOW or I won't be able to ENJOY accomplishing any of the tasks above.

If I've gotta pick up milk at the grocery store...might as well pick it up with joy and SMILE at the check-out clerk in the process.

That's what I HOPE I'll be able to do anyway. May fall short...but that's okay too. I'll forgive myself and resolve to smile next time.

Hope you will take a moment of quiet for yourself today...even in a small way...and that investment will give you the benefit of a day filled with joyful accomplishments.

Love,
V

"There is perhaps no more empowering belief than understanding you're always in control of how you feel. Similarly, understanding that just because you're not always skipping through the tulips with joy doesn't mean that something's wrong with you." - Mike Dooley, Tut's Universe